STAGE GUIDE

Shows to catch this month

Words by Wylie Caird

Newk: The John Newcombe Story

Prima Facie

Suzie Miller’s Prima Facie is a warts and all exploration of a broken justice system where the pathways to justice for women in rape, sexual assault or harassment cases can feel impossible to find. Sheridan Harbridge is Tessa, a criminal lawyer who leaves all emotion at the door when it comes to defending her client. When she finds herself on the other side, it forces her to confront those she has previously stood against.

Prima Facie will take in performances at Limelight Studio, Geelong Arts Centre from March 28 to April 1.

The Aussie tennis great and man with the mighty moustache is getting due recognition in Newk: The John Newcombe Story. Written by Kieran Carroll and starring Damian Callinan, the show is set in 2014 at Newcombe’s 70th birthday. Take a trip back to the 1970s when wooden racquets ruled, shorts left little to the imagination and terrycloth was king.

Newk: The John Newcombe Story will take in performances at The Engine Room, Bendigo on March 10 & 11, COPACC on March 14 and Potato Shed, Drysdale on March 17

Between Sleeps

‘In space, no one can hear you scream’ is one of the most familiar movie taglines in history. Something New Theatre Company’s first production for the year, Between Sleeps, is a science-fiction story to unsettle the nerves. In deep space, between long stretches of cryo-sleep, comes a ‘knock-knock-knock’. But when the only thing beyond the ship is an unending void, who wants to come in? Or who has already entered?

Between Sleeps will take in performances at Eastern Hub, Geelong from March 23-26 and Shoestring Theatre, Torquay from March 30 to April 2

Steve-O – The Bucket List Tour (18+)

It has been a wild ride for Stephen Gilchrist Glover, the man affectionately known as Steve-O. There will be few readers who haven’t spent time with Jackass, the stuntbased reality show that made every parent nervous. So what does a man who stapled his ball sack to his leg have on his bucket list? Strap in for an XXX-rated, multi-media comedy ride where everything that shouldn’t be done is done – and then some.

Steve-O – the Bucket List tour will take in Ballarat Civic Hall on March 10 and Costa Hall in Geelong on April 29

Memoirs and Mullets

The Director

There is good money in death. Dying can cost an average of $10,000 and funerals can happen within one week. But what goes on in the background? What’s behind death’s curtain? Nominated for a Green Room Award, The Director is a performance by ex-funeral director of 21 years, Scott Turnbull, and artist Lara Thoms. No topic is off limits as the duo performs a comedic dissection of death – from the smell of a crematorium, to the tools of the mortuary. The Director will take in performances at Platform Arts, Geelong from March 22-25

Multicultural Comedy Gala

Sides will be split and thighs will be slapped. You will giggle, you will guffaw – you may even snort. A celebration of Australia’s rich cultural diversity, the Multicultural Comedy Gala presents a big, hearty night of laughs featuring Dilruk Jayasinha, Ivan Aristeguieta, Tahir, Jeff Green, Ben Lomas, Ting Lim and Dora Smith.

Multicultural Comedy Gala will take in performances at Riverlinks, Shepparton on March 18, Ararat Town Hall on March 21, Lighthouse Theatre, Warrnambool on March 24; Kyneton Town Hall on March 25; and The Capital, Bendigo on March 26

It’s a greater love story than Titanic. It’s a greater love story than The Notebook. It’s a greater love story than the Kylie Minogue classic, The Delinquents. This is Memoirs and Mullets, the love story of Frankie and Shazza through the 1950s to 1980s – a love built tougher than a Holden Monaro. Fall in love all over again with this fastpaced show full of music, roller-skating, circus, comedy and dance. An ’80s disco party follows.

Memoirs and Mullets will take in the Potato Shed, Drysdale on March 25

Live from Ukraine

Artists must make art. In 2022, when the bombs began to fall on Ukraine, actors huddled in their local theatre and as the days passed performed and filmed The Book of Sirens. At this special event, producer and director Alex Borovenskiy, along with actress Anabell Ramirez, will join the audience live from Ukraine as they screen their production. A Q&A on arts, culture and their vision for Ukraine Fringe 2023 will follow.

Live from Ukraine will take in a performance at Theatre Royal, Castlemaine on March 29